Spy Fiction (PS2 Review)

It was a Thursday like any other. I was just finishing up a race in Gran Turismo 3 at Laguna Seca, when I heard a knock at the door. Setting down my controller, I went to see who could be so rudely interrupting me from my racing bliss. It was the local Federal Express guy who had an unannounced package to deliver. I had no idea whom it could be from, and when asked he simply replied that there was no return address. Now this deepened the mystery, as I was under the impression that it was a requirement that every package have background information in case there was a developing problem with the delivery. I signed for the envelope, said my obligatory thank you to Mr. Federal Express and went back inside my house.

 

Upon closer examination, there was very little writing on the envelope to determine the sender’s identity. Only my typed address was visible along with the standard collection of tracking bar-codes. Being able to learn nothing more, I opened the package to find inside an unlabeled DVD and an audio cassette. Now this presented new problems. The DVD could easily be checked out, as there are multiple devices in my house that have the capacity to read it. However, listening to the tape would be much more difficult, since all of my stereo equipment had been upgraded to neglect this form of media. I spent the next 20 minutes searching through closets, looking for an old walkman that I knew had been tossed away to be forgotten years ago. Once I got everything collected up and operating, I slipped the tape into the machine and then my whole world changed forever.

The tape had an annoying hiss in the background. Suddenly a sultry female voice broke the static. “Greetings PSX. My name is Eve and I represent the Special Execution Agency. We have been watching you for some time and feel that you may be of assistance to us in this dire time of need. As I am sure you are aware, terrorist activity has skyrocketed in the last few days and it is our belief that certain agencies have the capacity to unleash biological weapons of mass destruction upon an unsuspecting public. We need your help to defuse this situation. So your mission, if you choose to accept it, will be to join up with the remaining team members of PHANTOM and help stop these terrorists from bringing their plans to fruition. All of the necessary background intelligence is included on the enclosed disk and this mission has been code-named Spy Fiction, for if you are captured we will disavow all knowledge of this assignment. The world is in need of your abilities; however the decision is completely yours. If you choose to accept this mission, you will be contacted by our team within 12 hours with a deployment timetable. Good luck PSX, and god speed. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds.”

I was too shocked to move, and only the smoke bursting out of my walkman was enough to break the enchanting spell. I dumped the tape player into the sink and then tried to focus my thoughts on what had just happened. Questions came at me from all mental directions. Who were these people? How had I been chosen? What adventures lay ahead? The whole world was asking for my assistance. How could I refuse? That final thought made up my mind for me. There was no way I could not try to stop these evil criminals from taking the lives of hundreds of innocent bystanders. I sat down and inserted the DVD into my PlayStation 2. It was at that exact moment my life changed forever and I have never regretted that decision.

Now, I’m sure that most of the readers have that bewildered look on their faces as they try to figure out whether they are looking at a game review or have somehow blundered into an RPG Tale. Let me assure you that you are in the right section. The opening, although it may have been a tad obscure, was done to give you a small taste of what to expect when trying out Spy Fiction for yourself, and to combat the shortsightedness of articles that have come from other agencies concerning this game.

For anyone who has taken the slightest glance at either the game or other reviews, I’m sure you noticed the references to both Mission: Impossible and Metal Gear Solid. Some have even insisted that Spy Fiction could be considered the resulting love-child if these two action titles ever got together for a night of high passionate lovemaking. However, since both of these mentioned titles have been so influential for the genre, I contest that the likeness is simply following in the footsteps of success that have come before. To subtract from this title for that reason alone would be like declaring that any agent seen in a tuxedo is a sin and is just another James Bond knock-off. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and Sammy Studios has gracefully given a nod to the previous masters and has moved on in its own direction.

As I began my journey through Spy Fiction, I could see the similarities and, in fact, felt cheated by the experience. However, these were just the first two levels of the game. Nevertheless, I buckled under, expecting to have nothing but a carbon copy to look forward to for the next five to ten hours. I couldn’t have been farther from the truth. The storyline is enough of a driving force to keep you in the ballgame, especially with the plot twist near the end of the game. Moreover, having multiple avenues on how you would like to tackle certain missions made the adventure even more personal. Freedom is always a good thing.

Speaking of freedom, Spy Fiction lets the player progress through the levels however you prefer. True, this is a stealth title and it is meant to be played as such, but there is practically nothing stopping the player from turning this into a run-and-gun type of game. There are certain bottlenecks, where you must play by the established rules, but usually players have the luxury to proceed at their own speed and style. Some minor sub-missions are timed and require you to get from one point to another as quickly as possible. Most of the assignments, however, have no such restrictions, so you are free to explore each of the massive levels at your own pace. For those players who don’t read the instructions, Access Games has also included an in-depth video instruction guide within the options section of the game. Most of the controls can be learned on the fly, but there are some very helpful tips for the situation specific equipment that you will find during the game. The positive aspect is that the game developers took the time to include this so that more freedom could be taken advantage of by the player, and you could see examples in action instead of looking through the instruction guide when you need enlightenment.

The multitude of choices begins right at the start of the game. Players have the option to choose which PHANTOM member they would like to use to complete the game. Both have particular strengths and weaknesses. Billy Bishop is the stronger of the two, but his disguise options are less extensive than those of his partner. Sheila Crawford is a much better choice for the aspiring spy, since she can store more costume options and can impersonate both male and female targets. Nevertheless, her physical attributes are less than her cohort and has to throw more punches to drop her opponents.

By using the 3DA camera, your character can take pictures of any Non-Player Character (NPC) wandering throughout the game, and then, by hopping into a locker or barrel, can alter their appearance to match their subject using the power of your Chameleon Suit. There are three different disguise levels that players can incorporate. You can simply reproduce the clothing of another person, so that you can walk freely in the general area without alerting the other people of your true identity. The next upgrade is the ability to include the subject’s face along with their attire. This is exceptionally helpful for getting into secured sections of the game, where only select members of the staff have access. Nevertheless, after you have captured a two-stage picture of your target, you can improve your disguise even more by eavesdropping on their random conversations and make a recording of their voice. This is the only way to get yourself through the tightest security and pull off those nail-biting face-to-face meetings. Eavesdropping also allows you to gather special hints about what is going on in the game, and players should try to pick up on as many conversations that they can to ease the difficulty one may face in completing their mission.

Nevertheless, your disguises are not total proof that you will be able to glide effortlessly through the game. By acting out of place (most scientists don’t just strangle guards for no reason) within view of another person, they can become suspicious of you and can go as far as patting down your character. Each disguise has a set number of checks that it will be able to pass before setting off the mental alarms of the guards. Once your costume receives its limit, or you do something additionally suspicious (running away is a surefire giveaway) while being checked, it will attain a ‘wanted status’ and everyone will be on the lookout for it. Luckily, disguises can be taken off at a moment’s notice, freeing up your Chameleon Suit to let you blend into the background once out of sight of your pursuers. ‘Wanted Statuses’ do not remain forever and, after a period of time, costumes will become usable again. Players can also clear their status by using different items in consoles located within the levels, once the general alert has passed back to the normal safe mode.

Probably the most original part of Spy Fiction would have to be the gadgets that you have at your disposal. First and foremost is the Chameleon Suit, which not only allows you to change your appearance for interacting with the other characters, but it gives your player virtual invisibility. Crouching against a wall will activate your suit and let you blend directly into the environment. I never did get tired of using this ability, and it was extremely satisfying to be hiding in plain view of the guards, then suddenly uncloaking myself when they walked past to strike at them from behind. Nevertheless, this is just one of the many tools you have at your disposal including: spider grips (these let you walk along ceilings), cigarette flares, a mini repelling unit, three different forms of grenades, about a half-dozen of assorted firearms, bio sensors, button trackers and even remote-detonated bandage bombs. This is not a complete list of your available items, rather it is just a sample of what to expect. These are all broken down into four separate categories and can be exchanged on the fly with no penalty to the player. Access Games has even included a ‘fast draw’ button, so you can have the last selected weapon at your fingertips whenever it is needed.

Players also have the option to be as bloodthirsty as they desire. Most of the levels are populated with a tenfold of lower echelon sentries, which can be overcome by either your physical prowess or your huge arsenal of available weapons. Rendering your opponents unconscious, by either sneaking up behind then and putting them in a sleeper hold or knocking them out with a flurry of lightning fast blows, is the preferred method of progression (remember, you are the good guy). It is more difficult to remain in the shadows with this tactic, but it is also more rewarding, as unconscious victims usually drop extra items for you to use in your quest. If sentries are killed outright by the use of weaponry, they will not leave anything behind to help you later on down the road.

All of the environments have plenty of interactive objects that can be kicked, punched or utterly destroyed. The act of wreckage isn’t permanent, and items will magically appear in their original location if you leave the current level and then return at a later time. I really would have preferred to have all of my carnage left exactly the way it was, but this is a minor aggravation that will only stick with the anal retentive player. Along with the scattering of miscellaneous breakables, there are always a healthy helping of crates and barrels for you to take your frustrations out on, and usually house some form of usable object to assist in your endeavor.

Most of the soldiers that you will come up against have a reasonable amount of intelligence. True, their range of vision is a bit limited and allows players to get rather close before acknowledging your presence. However, once you have been discovered, you can expect to have to put some distance between yourself and them before you can melt back into the shadows. Simply turning the corner and trying to turn invisible will not shake the tail, and players must either kill or immobilize their pursuit before they can fall back on using the Chameleon Suit to wait out the security violation.

Another unique aspect of Spy Fiction is the invented science of Garbology. This is defined as an investigative procedure that is performed by collecting trash. Being a good spy, you have come to find that most people don’t use a shredder for those important documents and simply toss them aside in their lockers or trash bins. Using this science, your player is able to put pieces of a puzzle together to help in your investigation. Some bits are simply scraps of paper that have notes jotted down on them, however every once in a while you will stumble across a complete document that will be the key for your current assignment. Although it is not necessary to find every one of the many clues haphazardly scattered throughout each level, in the same regard that eavesdropping applies, but it will make your task a much simpler one if used on a consistent basis.

Nevertheless, not everything about this title can be considered positive. My most obtrusive obstacle was the in-game camera, which seemed to get more in my way of progressing forward then the enemy forces occupying the levels. Access Games gives the player total control over the positioning of the camera, using the right analog stick. However, in doing so, this lets the camera float free unless it is being physically manipulated. There is a quick correct button that will bring the view into perspective at a simple touch, but usually when you need to see the action exploding around you, your fingers are occupied elsewhere. Also, for some of the tight quarters that the game puts you in, this view just doesn’t work properly. On the levels that are wide open, I have no real complaints. It’s just when you are creeping through some of the narrow corridors that it seems to be the biggest problem. However, there are options where you can customize how you want the analog stick to manipulate your view. Players can choose from the standard control or invert the horizontal, vertical and even both planes for the first and third-person cameras. These options help to lessen the hurt that the looseness of the camera relates to the player, however I won’t go on record saying that I still wasn’t cursing the developers every once in a while. As I progressed through the game, it did become less of a problem and that probably had something to do with me getting used to how the game reacted in different situations. This was not the worst that I have ever experienced for a camera in a game, but it definitely wasn’t the best.

The Full-Motion Videos (FMV) for the game have both their high and low points. The detail of the visual presentation is some of the best that I have seen this side of a Square Enix product. Access Games really put some deep effort into putting these together. They not only drive the interesting storyline forward, but are exceptionally pleasant to behold. On the downside, the conversations of the characters are very strained and come out in bursts, rather than flowing like a normal conversation. While not totally ruining the movie-like quality of the FMV, the audio portion does noticeably distract the player and subtracts from their overall presentation.

The rest of the game’s video presentation is almost as good as the FMV. I say almost, because there are some very rare polygonal clipping incidents that can be caught by a player paying close attention. These aren’t disastrous and usually only are lines becoming visual within a wall. They don’t distract much from the overall experience. There are also instances where a character can move partially inside of a wall when running while against it. However, these are minor gripes that deserve a simple footnote, nothing more. The environments are plush with extra touches, including flocks of birds that can give your position away when they suddenly take flight. Around the edges of the screen is a very in depth Heads-Up Display (HUD) that tracks anything and everything a player should be concerned with to the smallest detail. You can even tell when a NPC is taking an interest in your presence, without having the ability to see the person watching you. Switching to the first-person view while being cloaked has a wondrous effect on the screen that gives the impression that you are looking through a power field. The view shimmers and has a slightly fish-eyed optical effect. There are plenty of things to get excited over when talking about the visuals of Spy Fiction, only if the player takes the time to stop and smell the roses every once in a while.

In the world of combat, what you can hear is sometimes more important to what you can see. Spy Fiction covers this base efficiently, by keeping the sound effects rationale and relevant. NPC’s can be heard walking their post, along with muttering under their breath from a reasonable distance. Also, the amount of sound that you character makes can alert sentries to your location. Trash scattered on the floor will make noise, along with the steel decks and water-covered floors, if you move too quickly. The musical background scores fit in very well with the game and when the intensity of the situation heightens, the music will also step up a notch in volume and tempo until things return to a less-frantic pace.

Originally, I believed this title to be rather limited in the extras department. There is no support for online play, surround sound or widescreen televisions, but there are the two different playable characters that have branching story lines. Nevertheless, once I completed my first time through the game, I found a bunch of secrets not previously released in anything else I had researched. Not only are there alternative endings that can be viewed with multiple runs through the game, but additional costumes and uniforms for your characters also can be obtained.

The shelf-life of the game is fairly deep. It took me a little over twelve hours to go through Billy’s nine different missions, and that was on the simplest difficulty setting. There are a total of nine various combinations of difficulty that can be used for the game, which simply spells out an approximate 144 hours (8 hours to complete the game times nine different difficulty levels times the two different playable characters in case you were wondering how I came about my math) of gameplay, if you run through the game on each level with both characters. This easily matches up with the amount that most players could spend on a very well-produced RPG (Role-Playing Game). I don’t perceive the majority of players will go to this extreme, but for those who have to do everything possible in a game, this definitely will keep you busy for quite a while.

Although Konami has nothing to fear from Spy Fiction dethroning their Metal Gear hero from the top of the heap, I do believe this game should be rated on its own merits rather than that which has come before. The title does have some shortcomings, but I believe the positive aspects heavily outweigh a touchy camera and a few minor visual and audio discrepancies. The variety of wondrous spy tools and weapons are unmatched by any other title within the genre, and the unique disguise ability of the PHANTOM members is too cool to miss out on because of a few tainted opinions. If you are a fan of action-adventure games, you definitely should give this one a try.

Difficulty: 6

Control: 6

Visuals: 8

Sound: 7

Replayability: 9

Overall: 8.2